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Leim Patent N 100,483, dated March 1, 1ero.

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The Schedule referred to :in these Letters Patent and making part of tizio-name` To all whoml 'itjmay concern:

Re itknown that I, DANIEL A. WOODBURY, of Rochester, inthe county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented certain new and -uset'ul 1inprovements in Reversing-Gear for SteamfEngines; and do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact` description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specication, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my inveniion; Figure 2is au elevation of` those parts to thev left of' the dotted line at, iig. l.

Figure 3 is a similar view of Athose portions to the right of said dotted line.

rIhe lnature of my invention consists in a novel mode of shifting the `eccentric of `a steamengine to the backward ur forward position and y To'enable others to make and use the same, I-will describe its construction and operation.

The eccentric. A is fitted loosely to thecrank-vshnft B, and nponone side of it a iiange, C, iscast, concentricv with the crank-shaft.

A segment, D, figs. 1 and. 3, of this flange is provided with ybevel-gear teeth, while the remaining portion is cut away, as shown in fig. 3, thrilling shoulders a c' upon the periphery.

The tixed collar F is secured at any desired circnm ferential position upon the crankshaft by the set- Hscrew b, and has cast upon itthe arm G, extending beyond the periphery. of' the reduced portion of' the gauge C, over which the stop'g projects, as s hown in When the eccentric is revolved on the shaft one of the shoulders a, or a comes in contact with thestop g, hy which the movement of the eccentric is limited. The bevel pinion H, fig. 1,'meshing into the seg ment D, and also linto the segment-al gear I, figs. l and 2, has a bearing either upon the set-screw b or a projecting portion ot' the fixed collar F.

Thegear I is loose upon the crank-shaft, and upon its hub the disk J may have a bearing, as shown in The collar d, secured to the shaft by a set-screw retains' the gear andtdisk against the pinion H.

Upon the disk J, I provide the studs :v x', figs. 1 and 2, projecting through circularslots o o inthe web toi' the gear I. These slots are long enough to lallow fa slight rotary movement to the disk, independently cry of' thelixed collar F, upon which the pawls f' are retained by suitable springs.

Both edges of the-central tooth t of the ratchet are vertical with relation to the crank shaft, while the teeth upon one side of it 4are inclined in an opposite directon'to those upon the other.

It will be' observed that while one ofthe pawls,f or f', operating upon its respective portion ofthe ratchet h, holds the gear I, and consequently theecrentric A in a certain relative position to the fixed collar F, yet

a slight axial niovemeutoi" the disk JY relieves either pawl", as desired `by the action of' the studs The brake-lever M, fig. 2, is pivoted to a cnnven ient portion of' the-engine-t'rame and is provided with a block, m, which is .made to impinge rupon the periphery of the disk J, when desired, by a movement of the brake-lever.

The reaction spring p retains the brake from such contact when not in use.

The operation of my invention is as follows:

When the-'crank-shaf't is revolving in the direction of the arrow in-tig. 3, the eccentric stands with reference to the crank in` the position shown by the heavy dotted circle i. It'. now the operator presses the brake lever the disk I is stopped for an instant, by which operation the st ud x lfts the pawl fand arrests the motion of'` the gear I, by striking the end of' the slot o.

The motion ofthe crank-shaft andeccentric still continuing, the latter is thrown over ahead of the crank by means of' the pinion H, segment D, and the momentarily fixed gear I,

This independent movement of the eccentric continues till the stop g strikes the shoulder a, when the eccentriowill be in the position in relation to the crank, shown by the light dotted circle i', iig. 3aud retained by the pawl f' and ratchet h. The valve is now reversed and the engine moves in the opposite direction,

when .a similar operation returns the eccentric to its former position, again reversing ,the engine.

1t' it is desired to reverse the valve when the engine is at rest, the disk J is revolved by the hand in an op-` posite direction to that in which the eccentiic is to be shifted.

The engine may be reversed when in motion by the pressure ot' the-hand upon he disk J, but the use of the brake is preferred, since the operation ,may he performed at any desirable distance, by=a cord attached to the end ot' the brake-lever.

By means of the counter-inclined teeth on the ratchet h, the eccentric, it' partly thrown over, cannot be thrown. back by friction of the straps, since the pawls hold it in` such intermediate position till the brake is again applied andthe movement completed.

The ratchet and pawl's are nonesseutial to' the operation of this apparatus since the friction of the eccentric straps \\'i1lal\\'ays retain the shoulders a a in contact with the stop g, in which case the disk J' and gear 1 may be cast in one piece.

I ,t is obvious that this device, being cheap, simple, y

and easily operated, is applicable in many places where the adoption of a link-motion or other expensive' gear would not be warranted.

Other arrangements of gearing may be used between the disk .Land-the eccentric, to [nove them in opposite directions so each other, as described, or a system of levers may be introduced between them for a like purpose.

Any desirable means of stopping the disk J mayv be adopted in place of the brake M.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The fixed hub F; 'provided with the stop g, and

forth.

D. A. WOODBURY.

Witnesses:

HENRY H. PRYon, F. H. CLEMENT. 

